


Fictober Shorts: Maw

by Lyrishadow



Series: Fictober 2020 Shorts [8]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27100303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyrishadow/pseuds/Lyrishadow
Summary: Prompt 8: “Not doing that again”Fandom: Mass EffectTitle: MawPairing: Egan Shepard / Kaidan Alenko ( a friendship)Rating: T (teen and up)Warnings/Tags: thresher maw, indications of PTSD
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Male Shepard
Series: Fictober 2020 Shorts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977133
Kudos: 2





	Fictober Shorts: Maw

They had been on the planet for half an hour, following maps from the Normandy’s scans. Checking on anomalies and signals.  
“Commander, no offense but do you have your license on earth?” Kaidan was bracing himself against the roof of the mako. Tali was happily sitting, strapped tightly into her seat. Almost enjoying the rough ride, gazing in rapture at the scenery.  
“No.” Egan grinned as Kaidan grimaced “ I’m kidding, sheesh, I have my license, I’m also mako certified, it's just these hills mess with..”  
The mako lurched.

“Ah shit.” Egan forgot he had been trying to impress Tali by not swearing in front of her, “Thresher maw!”  
Some instant maneuvering made the mako safer. Egan was pale as he angled back around.  
“One of you, fire that damn turret.”  
“On it.” Kaidan fired the large gun as Egan dodged the thresher maw. 

Back around, and again they went, Egan uncharacteristically silent as they fought. Finally the Maw lay dead. Egan stopped the mako and climbed out of the vehicle falling on his knees on the ground.  
“Shepard?” Tali asked Kaidan who shook his head frowning with concern as Shephard sat trying to recover, still on his knees on the ground.  
“Let me see, be back in a bit." Kaidan followed his commanding officer out of the mako.  
"Shepard?” No response “Commander Shepard?”

“Damn thresher maws…” Egan finally looked up, he was paler than Kaidan had thought “I thought i was okay until right about now. Still, it's dead and I’m alive.”  
“You seem shaken?”  
“Yeah, reminded of Akuze.”  
Kaidan’s eyes widened as he put two and two together.  
“Well, you survived that.”  
“Not doing that again.” Egan exhaled “not losing my squad.”  
“We are fine too, Commander."  
Egan gestured at the signal, and dead marines.  
"Shut it down. Trace the damn thing if you can.”  
“Commander?”  
|“Those are Admiral Kahoku’s men.” Egan dry wretched then, Kaidan was next to him in an instant. 

“You need to focus.” Kaidan knew that Shepard had joined the dots - the same people behind the signal here were behind Akuze. Too real for the man to not feel it, the sight of dead marines, and the large drooling body of a thresher maw. Kaidan tried to remember how he had been trained to help, he didn’t want to abandon his friend even to do the things that were needed.  
“Shepard?” Tali had decided to join them. She assessed the situation and nodded. “Kaidan, turn off the signal, collect the tags. Shepard and I will wait here."  
Kaidan nodded, Tali had given him a good solution, he could deal with the situation and Tali could sit with Shepard.  
"Sorry Tali, this isn’t what I meant when I said excitement,” Egan looked at the Quarrian girl, she was someone he admired and respected.  
“Every moment on a planet is exciting.” She told him, sitting down in the dirt next to him “ this entire trip is a bigger adventure than I imagined.”  
“Thresher maw are my Achilles heal …” Egan rubbed his neck.  
“You have a problem with your heal?”  
“An old earth saying, it means weak spot.” Egan tried to smile, but still felt sick.  
“Then we all have aching heals,” Tali replied, not quite catching the right word “so take the time you need.”  
“Thanks Tali, I appreciate it.” Her attempts to distract him were working he realized, which further strengthened him. “I think Kaidan is nearly done.”  
“The signal isn’t sophisticated, whoever set it intended it as a lure.”  
“Yeah, well, it worked.” Kaidan returned his hands filled with tags. “Ok Commander?”  
“Getting there. What a waste.” He gestured at the tags “Surely there are better things to do than lure soldiers to their death.”  
“Here.” Tali offered “ let me put them in the secure box."  
Kaidan handed over the tags and Tali headed back to the mako. 

"Commander, how are you going? Need a hand?” Kaidan offered his hand to help Egan to his feet.  
“Thanks.” Egan nodded accepting the offered hand “your help is appreciated.”  
“Permission to speak freely Sir?”  
“ Never need to ask, Alenko, you have my trust that you pick the right times.” Egan nodded all the same.  
“I think you should leave your reaction out of the report.”  
“I…” Egan paused, they already said he was a risk, if they knew he had lost it? “what if something more happens? Or this again?"  
"I don’t believe what you did jeopardized the mission in any way or took anything away from it. Shepard, you know I’m by the book.”  
Egan nodded, maybe Kaidan had a point. What would it add to the report anyhow? Ultimately the maw was dead, they were alive, and the Admiral’s men were accounted for. Time to head back to the Normandy, mission complete.


End file.
